Boxers living in the shadows of their fathers

By Gavin Duthie - 09/29/2014 - Comments

chavez01By Gav Duthie: Shane Mosley Jnr suffered his first professional defeat in only his third fight last night. After winning the first bouts by stoppage he was far from impressive against a similarly inexperienced opponent finding himself on the wrong end of a split decision. It makes it quite difficult to believe Mosley Snr when he says his son will be world champion because boxing is in his blood. So who are the more successful boxing sons in the sport today? 

Criteria

There is a lot of families where boxing is in the blood. At present the Alvarez family spear headed by Canelo have a few solid contenders as do the Morales (Erik) family. Floyd Mayweather Snr boxed to a decent standard and a lot of the family are involved in the sport to some extent. For the purpose of this article I am concentrating more on following in your fathers footsteps. Very successful boxers who have won world titles and the sons who have attempted to achieve the same. I think this is the most difficult situation as you will always be in your fathers shadow. So who are the brightest boxing sons at present in the current scene and what are the chances of them surpassing their old men. 

(1) Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr 48-1 (32)
Division: Super Middleweight
Father: Julio Cesar Chavez Snr 107-6-2 (86)

Having the same name as his father and the same profession there was no way he was going to slip under the radar. Chavez Snr is one of the most popular fighters in boxing history. He s a Mexican legend and given his all action style he boasts headlining the biggest attended event in boxing history as more than 132,000 spectators watched him knock out Greg Haugen. Chavez Jnr has a much more languid style due to his height and reach. Few would have expected him to achieve what he has so far and he still a relatively young man. 

(2) Julius Jackson 18-0 (14)
Division: Super Middleweight
Father: Julian Jackson: 55-6 (49)

Maybe not as hard an act to follow as Cesar Chavez but people who know their boxing know all about Julian Jackson. He is a former WBC Middleweight  and WBA light middleweight Champion but is more notably considered one of the hardest punchers of all time. (#1 with secondsout.com). His knockout victory over stylish British prospect Herol Graham is probably the most brutal I’ve seen. All of Julian’s defeats were also by stoppage and he could easily be out-boxed but with his power he was never out of a fight completely. So far son Julius is going well and has shown glimpses of similar punch power when he knocked out opponent Williams through the ropes in his third fight. 14 of his 18 wins have came inside the distance but he is yet to step up to elite level. He possesses a decent jab and as long as he doesn’t need to rely on one big punch then he could hopefully achieve success. 

(3) Chris Eubank Jnr 17-0 (12)
Division: Middleweight
Father: Chris Eubank Snr 45-5-2 (23)

In the UK Eubank Snr was not just one of our greatest boxers he was also one of our best showmen. In truth he is quite an eccentric character and has a demeanor and style that is difficult to emulate. Probably to his detriment Eubank Jnr did try to copy his dad in his early bouts, flipping over the top rope,  striking strange poses mid fight and strutting round the ring like a peacock. As time has went on he is starting to develop his own identity and has built up a relatively impressive record as his power has improved over time. He has been penciled in to fight Billy Joe Saunders (record) on the Chisora-Fury undercard  but he sees no reason to rush his career as he sees Saunders as much more experienced. He hasn’t dismissed the fight but my gut tells me he won’t take it. Eubank Jnr still has plenty of learning to do but if he continues to develop then he could win a world title but if he doesn’t fancy Saunders now then he is years away from the likes of Golovkin. 

Notable mentions

George ‘Monk’ Foreman III 16-0 (15) last fought in 2012 but 15 ko’s from 16 wins is definitely an indicator of form despite fighting at a very low level. Like his father he is a heavyweight but being that George Snr is very successful out with boxing his son has concentrated more on his education and has a degree in Business and Sports management. He was appointed vice president of George Foreman Enterprises, Inc and owns his own training and management company The Club so his hunger to fight is probably quite low as it seemed boxing was more of a hobby. Lightweight prospect Carlos Zarate Jnr 20-1 (15) last fought in 2013. His only loss was due to an injured shoulder but doesn’t seem to have the skills to move up in level. Ricardo ‘El Finito’ Lopez son Alonso Lopez 12-1-3 (5) is a flyweight prospect but has already drawn and lost to sub-standard opposition so it would be a huge surprise if he amounted to anything. 

The Task

I think the best advice to give any of the 3 prospective fighters is to be your own man. The experience of your father should be benefited from but should never be emulated. Chavez Jnr has already been a world champion and I expect him to be one as a Super Middleweight especially if he can tempt Abraham to a fight. I wish Jackson and Eubank the best of luck and whether it works out or not do it your own way. 



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